estimated at the sun of REPORT laid before the House of Representatives, by the Secretary of the Treasury, respecting the Fisheries of the United States, on the 29th of Jan. 1803. Treasury Department, 291b Jan. 1803. SIR, I have the honour to enclose a statement prepared in obedience to the resolution of the House of Representatives, of the 24th inst. The duties paid on the importation of foreign fish being laid on the value, and not on the quantities, there are no documents in this department by which those quantities can be ascertained. 3. To the provision necessary for the reimbursement of the 8th ir stalment of the 6 per cent. stock, and the 2d instalment of the deferred 6 per cent. stock, becoming payable the 1st January, 1803, dolls. 1,117,869 37 And that besides the above-mentioned reimbursements and payments, there remained at the close of the year 1802, exclusively of the amount of sundry protested bills still outstanding, and of unexpended balances in the hands of agents, an unapplied balance, As the number of seamen employed in the Estimated at guilders 5,914,606 10 st. ap- cod fishery could not be ascertained, for plicable to the payment of the principal and each of the ten years embraced in the stateinterest of the Dutch debt for the year 1803, ment, without delaying for a considerable and consisting of remittances purchased and time the report, it was thought best to paid for before the 1st day of January, transmit at present only the number employ1803, beyond the sums wanted to meet the ed for the year 1800; which, by a compademands in Holland during the year 1802. rison of the tonnage for that year, with that No purchases of the debt of the United for each of the preceding years, will shew, States have been made since the date of the without any material error, the number of last report to Congress, and the accompany-seamen employed during each year. The ing statements exhibit for the years 1801 and 1802 respectively, the operations at the Treasury, in the transfer of stock to the commissioners of the Sinking Fund, in trust for the United States upon the reimbursement of the foreign debt in the years 1800 and general result gives an annual average of about 33,000 tons, and 5,000 seamen, employed in the cod-fishery. I have the honour to be, &c. &c. ALBERT GALLATIN. The speaker of the House of Representatives. Abstract of the quantity of Fish exported from the United States; the amount of bounties and allowances paid; also the tonnage of vessels employed in the Cod and Whale Fisheries, and duties accruing thereon, for the years 1791 to 1800 inclusive. This column includes the payments made for bounties on the exportation of both fish and salted provisions; and from the informality with which several of the collectors returns are made out, the payments in many instances being blended together, it is limpo sible to make a correct discrimination. The documents in the Treasury do not distinguish the tonnage employed in the whale fishery prior to the year 1794. and those only enrolled vessels, 849,303 30 With respect to the licensed and enrolled tonnage and fishing vessels, a variation of about 50,000 tons more is stated from the abstracts as rendered by the collectors than REPORT LAID BEFORE THE HOUSE OF RE- upon the amount upon which duties were PRESENTATIVES, BY THE SECRETARY collected. But as every enrolled vessel by law renews her license every year, the du TONNAGE OF THE UNITED STATES, ON tied, licensed, and enrolled tonnage, exhibits, OF THE TREASURY, RESPECTING THE THE 8TH OF FEBRUARY, 1803. Treasury Department,—Register's Office, Feb. 17th, 1803. from a recent examination, more correctly, in each year, than can possibly be formed the aggregate tonnage in the coasting trade from the abstracts, which are continually varying, from an exchange of marine papers tion of this species of tonnage, other than at the custom-houses. Any further correcarises from the usual examination of the marine abstracts, may, it is presumed, be dispensed with. The total amount of tonnage on which duties were paid in the year 1801, was 632,907 8 278,271 31 36,398 9 947,576 48 Coasting ditto, Fishing vessels, Registered tonnage, The total amount of actual district tonnage, as above estimated, 31st Dec. 1801, was, Tons. 95ths 799,304 224,740 35.997 1,060,041 849,303 30 and manufactures: Secondly, in those of the of a manufacturer of very little importance positive or relative force of France. Colonies do not excite interest for their own sake, but only as respects the influence they may have on a nation; and as one man alone is more useful by remaining at home, than two by removing at a distance, a wise nation does not seek to colonize, until she has a superabundance of population, which she cannot usefully employ in any other way. Though very considerable, the population of France is very far from having reached the term which renders colonies necessary her soil, climate, and local situation give her, as a commercial, and especially as a manufacturing nation, great advantages over all the nations of Europe. The spirit of invention, the taste and industry of its inhabitants, place her in the first rank. But those advantages are wonderfully abridged by the want of capitals sufficient to make use of them. A rival nation, greatly inferior in every one of these particulars, has, by the effect alone of an immense capital, obtained the superiority, not only in commerce, but also in manufactures; and these advantages, by increasing the national fortune, furnish it with the means of maintain. ing that very superiority. in the eyes of a French workman. Hence when a foreign vessel, especially if owned at a great distance, sells her cargo in France, she is ordered to take nothing but wines or brandies, because they are the only articles which the owner is sure to procure in sufficient quantities, in the fixed time. In England, on the contrary, he will find all sorts of goods, in one hour, from one manufacturer, the reputation of which would suffer, if the whole supply were not of the same quality with the sample. This consideration will ever induce a foreigner to apply to an English, in preference to a French merchant, for a purchase of goods of the same kind. Hence cargoes are sold in France, and the proceeds carried to England, there to be sold for articles which France might supply, if her manufacturers were rich enough to answer every demand, in a short time, without compelling the purchaser to have recourse to a great num. ber of manufactories. This inconveniency can only be removed by increasing the capitals of manufacturers. It would be too great a deviation from my subject, to point out the means of obtaining those capitals; but it is evident, that they must be considerably lessened by the form tures, or by using the capitals of the nation in distant countries. It is beyond doubt, that capitals open new channels; for nothing is more natural for merchants whose capital is small, than to content themselves with acting the part of brokers or commissionmerchants, to those who can supply them with goods on credit; and for this very reason, England lost nothing by the inde. Capitals increase the number of manufactures, by the introduction of machines, bying of a navy, at the expence of manufac the regular payment of workmen, by the reduction of the interest of money, and especially by the possession of new markets. None but rich individuals can undertake those slow and expensive speculations, which often give the superiority to a manufacture. A poor merchant cannot undertake long voyages, returns from which are slow; they are reserved for the wealthy, who can give credits long enough to tempt foreign na-pendence of America. Her immense capi. tions to give his articles the preference over tals have created a monied dependence, those of other nations, which expect a quick which, in a commercial relation, replaced return for theirs. The want of capitals in the supremacy she had lost in the govern France, is such, that no manufacturer has ment. The increase of capital in America, at his command a quantity of articles suffi- frees it in some degree from that depen. cient to answer the demands; and conse-dency, and by furnishing her with the means quently no foreigner can be sure to obtain from his French Correspondent wherewith to make his returns without retarding his vessel in port, or, at least, without being obliged to take a considerable quantity of articles of inferior quality, picked up in a number of different manufactories; so that if he commits any fraud, no one can be charged with it. This renders the character of extending her commerce, and even to offer capitals to other nations, which know how to calculate the value of the markets which she offers to manufactures and to the luxury of Europe. It will be readily granted, that colonies beyond the seas add nothing to the force of a nation; these are, on the contrary, weak points, which are guarded at a very great expence expence, both in men and money; especially if they be in hot and unhealthy climates. The question, therefore, is reduced to this---Has France a superfluity of men and money great enough to justify the settling of a new colony? Those which France already possesses in the West-Indies and at Cayenne, are more than sufficient for her wants, and even the wants of all Europe, if they were cultivated so as to produce all they are capable of. But how are they to be cultivated? Expeperience has proved that the inhabitants of hot climates never work from want: force alone can supply the two great spurs to labour in northern climates, hunger and cold, which nature has placed in those severe climates. Hence slavery alone can fertilize those colonies, and slaves cannot be procured but at a great expence. the war, leave but little hope, that much may be used in the restoring of French colonies. The United States possess considerable capitals in money, and productions necessary to the restoration of the islands. No great credit, in money, will probably be given to the planters; but with suitable encouragements, there is no doubt they will be able to obtain those productions which must, were it not for that circumstance, be paid for in cash; and the commercial speculations of the United States will extend to the French islands, when the public and private credit of France shall have been restored; and when experience shall have convinced the people how unwise it is to establish a revenue upon foreign trade, while it is, in fact, collected from their own citizens. At Hispaniola, a duty of 20 per cent. is paid upon articles introduced by strangers. This duty is in fact paid by The Spanish part of Hispaniola was al- strangers; and it happens that fraud, and the most uncultivated for want of slaves. It is bad administration of the custom-houses, is, now possessed by France; and, to render as usual, a source of vexation for foreign it of advantage, it will be necessary to lay merchants. But it is the planter who out immense capitals in slaves, in buildings, furnishes the money, for this tax is always and in improvements of uncultivated lands.added to the price, and even an interest is Others will be necessary to make up for the losses of the French part of that, not to mention the other islands. Where are those capitals to be found? Men who travel into distant and unhealthy climates are seldom wealthy. Those riches must therefore be found in France, or in some country that has a superfluity of capital. If they are found in France, it can only be, to a certain degree, at the expence of internal manufactures. It may, however, appear advantageous, in a national point of view, to en-France a compensation for her actual outsets, courage the use of the riches of France for that object; considering the extreme fertility of the French West Indies, and their present situation of culture, those funds will soon yield a profit. But as long as money will command so high an interest; so long as the interior of the republic shall offer monied men a source of speculations, and property shall lie in so few hands, it will be difficult to induce the majority of them to dispossess themselves of this capital to send it at a distance, and run the risk of the integrity of their agents, and all those whom recent examples have taught them to dread. Foreign coin was formerly introduced into France, through the United Provinces; but the present state of the Batavian colonies, and the losses they have sustained by advanced upon it as a compensation for the vexations which the captains experience in their commerce. What then is the effect of that operation, if not to take from the planter one-fourth part of the money which he had so much difficulty to get from France? Or otherwise to stop, by that means, partly the re-establishment of the capitals which alone can render the islands finally productive? I say finally, for it is folly to believe that they would yield to unless it be after a great many years. I will even say, that unless the ports of Hispaniola are open to every vessel loaded with articles of necessity, unless the inhabitants have the right of buying cheap, and selling dear, by encouraging the rivalry between the sellers and purchasers, unless every sort of vexation is removed, and strangers receive every possible security for their capitals in the islands, ages will pass away before Hispaniola will cease draining France of its riches and strength, without offering her any equivalent return. It is, therefore, evident, that if France had no other possession beyond the seas, except her islands, it might easily place all the capital of which she now can, and probably hereafter will be able to dispose in a long series of years. But But if to all this we add the immense possessions in Guyana, her productions, and the capitals necessary to carry the whole of it to its full value; if we add the settle. ments necessary to be made in India, if the design be to bring into the ports of France that variety of articles which invite exchanges, and give commerce its due activity, we shall find, that one century at least will pass away before France may want possessions of that kind. But as France has, like other countries, but a confined capital, the only question is, where shall this capital be placed? Shall it be here? in the West-Indies? at Cayenne? in India, or at Louisiana? For it is obvious, that what will be placed in one of those settlements will be at the expence of another; it is equally so, that the national expenditures will increase with her colonies; and that, in case of war, the points of attack and defence will be multiplied in the same ratio. Able statesmen have questioned, whether colonies were useful to a country situated like France; but my design is not to examine this theory. France has colonies; she has invited her citizens to go and carry their riches to them; honor requires that she keep and protect them; but she is under no obliga. tion to create new ones; to multiply points of defence; to squander away the capitals she wants at home and abroad. How could the possession of Louisiana be useful to her? In the first place, its cultivation is to be car. ried on, as in all warm countries, by slaves; the capitals spent in buying them, or the slaves themselves, would have been carried to the Islands, if this new channel had not opened. This rivalry will rise the price of slaves for the planters, and may thus much retard the settlement. On their arrival at Louisiana the slaves will be employed in the barren occupation of felling the large forests with which this immense country is covered, a labour but little suited to slaves, for it requires being long accustomed to the axe; and force and activity are seldom found in slaves. They must be clothed, fed, and maintained during whole years, before any profit can be derived from them. What I am about to relate may serve to determine that period. In the northern and middle states of America the usual term of a quit-rent lease in the new lands is ten years free from rent, and after this the lessee pays 12 bushels of wheat for every 100 acres, for ever. It is, there. fore, obvious, that the first ten years are considered as a time of expense, during which term the owner requires no payment. But in the Southern States new lands cannot even be given out on those terms, because the white planter sets a higher value on his labour, and the clearing of forests requires too great outsets for any one but the owner of the land. Who then will cultivate Louisiana with slaves? Who is the citizen willing to bestow large capitals upon so precarious a property, with the prospect of a distant return? It may be asked, why does it not happen in the Southern States? It is answered, first, because none are southerly enough to be wholly free from the colds of winter, which renders savage life very difficult to men born in hot climates; and secondly, because the Southern States are mostly surrounded by the sea, and by mountains, the whole population of which is white, and which cut off the communication between the slaves and the vast forests of the interior parts. But let us suppose all these difficulties overcome, what commercial advantages can France derive from the settlement of this colony? The productions of Louisiana being the same with those of the West-Indies, no advantage is to be reaped; for the islands, being well cultivated, will suffice for the wants of France, and even all Europe. The introduction of those from Louisiana would only lessen the price, without adding any thing to the value, and France would be obliged, to prevent the ruin of those who had employed their funds in the colonies, to imitate the Dutch, who destroy their spices and teas, when the quantity of these commodities in Europe is large enough to cause a depreciation of their value. The productions of Louisiana, which do not grow in the West Indies, are only lum. ber, and perhaps rice; but it is certain that those productions, considering the difficulties of procuring them in a hot and unsalubrious climate, will not cover the outsets, or at least will not yield the same profits as would be procured by raising them in the islands, in procuring the same or other and more raluable articles. The proof of this is found in the United States:It is not from Georgia nor South Carolina that the West-Indies are supplied with lumber, but chiefly from the Northern States, where forests are more scarce and more valuable than in the South: the cause of this is, that the supplying of lumber, the |